Experiencing a city life in a welfare state. January 08, 2024

By William M (Biology and Biomedical Sciences, Middlebury College) - abroad from 08/21/2023 to 12/15/2023 with

DIS Copenhagen: Semester

What did you gain/learn from your experience abroad? Was it worthwhile?

Extremely worthwhile -- tons of life lessons were learned like how to get to school on public transport, how to make friends in an unfamiliar apartment or area, how to collaborate and live with people you don't know or get along particularly well with.

Personal Information

How much international exposure did you have prior to this program?	2 weeks - 1 month

Review Your Program

* Overall educational experience Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc.	A very good program with a ton of resources designed to benefit the students.
* Host Country Program Administration On-site administration of your program
* Housing: How satisfied were you with your living arrangements?
* Food:	The food in the city was great, but it was a bit expensive, and even when rationed appropriately, the grocery stipend was a little low.
* Social & Cultural Integration: How integrated did you feel with the local culture?
* Health Care: How well were health issues addressed during the program?	Yes, easily accessible, although perhaps not as thorough as I am used to. I thought at a time some imaging and a more thorough exam might have been necessary but was not utilized.
* Safety:
If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program?	Yes The program was awesome and clearly cared about student experience and immersion.

Finances

* Money: How easily were you able to live on a student's budget? (1 = not very easy/$200+ on food & personal expenses/week, 2.5 = $100/week, 5 = very easily/minimal cost)	City was just extremely expensive and found myself cooking nealry every meal leading to the grocery store credit running out halfway through the semester.
Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week?	$350
Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants?	Make meals with friends!!! Easiest way to save money and have fun and meet new people.

Language

* Did your program have a foreign language component?	Yes
How much did the program encourage you to use the language? 0 = No encouragement, 5 = frequent encouragement to use the language
How would you rate your language skills at the beginning of the program?	None
How would you rate your language skills at the end of the program?	Beginner
What was the highest level language course you had completed prior to departure?	AP Spanish in HS, no Danish at all though.
How many hours per day did you use the language?
Do you have any tips/advice on the best ways to practice the language for future study abroad participants?	Use it in your daily life as much as possible and talk to Danes, they will help you out!

Other Program Information

* Where did you live? Select all that apply	Apartment
* Who did you live with? Select all that apply	Americans
* Who did you take classes with? Select all that apply	Americans
About how many local friends did you make that you will likely keep in touch with?

A Look Back

* What did you like most about the program?	Immersion Ease of friendships Long Study Tour
* What could be improved?	Structure of classes Food stipend/on-campus food Professor's expectations transparent
* What do you know now that you wish you knew before going on this program?	How different Denmark was from other EU countries.

Reasons For Studying Abroad

To help future students find programs attended by like-minded individuals, please choose the profile that most closely represents you.	The Networker An active student leader, it was important for you to network abroad as well. Once overseas, you sought out student clubs, volunteered with local organizations, or attended community events. You encouraged your friends join you, and often considered how you could reflect your international experiences in a resume.

Individual Course Reviews

Course Name/Rating:	medical biotechnology and drug development
Course Department:	Biology
Instructor:	Daniela Hartman/Reza
Instruction Language:	English
Comments:	It was appropriately challenging. The structure of the class needed some work though, the professor left about 3 weeks in giving us a series of about 6-7 guest lectures in a row.
Credit Transfer Issues:	None.

Course Name/Rating:	Immunology
Course Department:	Biology
Instructor:	Jeanette
Instruction Language:	English
Comments:	Good course of appropriate difficulty, teaching method was pretty scattered especially given the abundance of information being thrown at the students.
Credit Transfer Issues:	None.

Course Name/Rating:	Danish Language and Culture
Course Department:	Language
Instructor:	Tina
Instruction Language:	Danish/English
Comments:	Amazing class with an amazing professor who had a very strategic approach to teaching students a rather challenging language.
Credit Transfer Issues:	None.

Course Name/Rating:	Photojournalism
Course Department:	Art
Instructor:	Laerke Posselt
Instruction Language:	English
Comments:	Amazing class that gave all of us a super hands on experience of photography. Really good balance of actually photographing and learning about the history of photography and how the camera works.
Credit Transfer Issues:	Unsure.

Course Name/Rating:	Anthropology of Food
Course Department:	Food Studies
Instructor:	Morten
Instruction Language:	English
Comments:	Very lecture based but field studies were very immersive, interesting, and tasty. Certainly a literature focused class based around discussion.
Credit Transfer Issues:	Unsure.